Drones launched by Ukraine struck deep inside Russia overnight and attacked the Saratov Oblast, causing a major fire in the city of Engels, the Governor of the region said on Wednesday.
The region hosts a major air base for strategic bomber planes that form part of Russia’s nuclear forces. Ukraine has attacked the base with drones before, but there was no word on whether it had been targeted on this occasion.
Russian news reports said the fire was at an oil facility. Unverified videos and photos published on social media showed a large fire burning with orange flames, sending thick clouds of smoke into the night sky.
Regional governor Roman Busargin said the cities of Saratov and Engels, on opposite sides of the Volga river, had been subject to a “mass drone attack” and there was a fire at an industrial site, but that there were no known casualties.
“There are sufficient forces and resources to localise the fire,” he posted on Telegram.
Russia’s defence ministry said in a statement that 11 Ukrainian drones had been destroyed overnight over the Saratov region, and 21 over other parts of Russia and the Azov Sea. It did not mention any damage.
The Engels air base is located about 730 km southeast of Moscow and hundreds of kilometres from the Ukraine border. In December 2022, three Russian air force personnel were killed when a drone was shot down there.
Independent news outlet Astra said the oil depot where the fire was burning provided fuel for the air base. Reuters was not immediately able to confirm that.
Ukrainian military intelligence said one of its naval drones had destroyed a Russian helicopter and damaged another one in the Black Sea.
In a battle near Cape Tarkhankut on Crimea’s west coast on Tuesday, a Magura V5 maritime drone equipped with missiles hit a Russian Mi-8 helicopter, Ukraine’s GUR spy agency said on social media.
GUR said it was the first time a Ukrainian naval drone had downed an air target. There was no comment from Moscow on the helicopter. Russia’s Defence Ministry said on social media that its Black Sea Fleet had destroyed eight unmanned drone vessels.
Team Bharatshakti
(With inputs from Reuters)
